Eleven representative sites were selected in this study to present the characteristics of ground thermal properties in Harbin, China. The initial ground temperature field was measured, and the temperature ranges of the solar warming, constant temperature, and increasing temperature layers were determined. The 22 thermal response tests (TRTs) for 11 boreholes were examined with two heating powers (4.2 kW and 6.5 kW). Analysis of thermal properties was performed in the laboratory. A total of 337 representative samples of rock and soil were analyzed, and their thermal properties were measured in laboratory tests, and the results of these tests are not consistent with those of TRTs. The overall characteristics of ground thermal conductivity are determined according to overall distribution. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.